


Heat of the moment

by Falconette



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-05-27
Packaged: 2018-01-26 19:31:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1699922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Falconette/pseuds/Falconette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sweet piece for when you need a blanket and a hot beverage</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heat of the moment

**Heat of the Moment**  
  
The nights were the worst. As if being sent far away from home and torn away from your childhood, dragged through grueling training sessions which were far from harmless, living on meager meals and constant reminders that this is only preparation for the real thing, for facing the titans, wasn't bad enough.  
  
Still, without a doubt, the nights were the worst, cold and lonely.  
  
It was mid-winter, the snow was late and earth and vegetation suffered cold winds without their protective coating. You could hear it howling and tearing at thin roof tiles like a rabid animal. It whistled through cracks in the barrack walls and bit your skin under a blanket that had seen better days. Your cot was in the corner of the dormitory, closest to the outer wall so when you brushed your fingers across roughly planed surface of the wooden boards, tiny wind gusts pricked like needles.  
  
You turned away from the wall, almost seeing your white breath in the air and pulled the blanked up to your nose. Shudders that ran up and down your body wouldn’t let you fall asleep despite the exhaustion and worrying about how that will affect your training drill results tomorrow didn’t help. Somewhere in the room a petroleum lamp was still lit, its tiny dancing flame making the utter darkness just a little penetrable for your eyes.  
Sounds of soft snoring, indiscernible murmuring and shifting of limbs filled the space, making you even more agonized. Were you the only one in the whole squad who couldn’t get some rest?  
  
You squirmed and turned towards the wall again, exhaling heavily. This time you did see a cloud of fine fog escape your mouth. You couldn’t stop trembling even though you have pulled your knees as close to your belly as they would go, making yourself as small as possible. The cold was relentless.  
  
Something big and warm suddenly rested on your shoulder blade, its weight calming and comfortable.  
  
“Cannot sleep?” a barely audible question reached your ears.  
  
You couldn’t discern whom it belonged to but the cot next to yours was Berthold’s. It had to be him, you concluded and turned your head in his direction, exposing your face and neck to the cold.  
  
“Nuh.” you mumbled, “Sorry if I woke you up.”  
  
“’Tis ok.” he said quietly and you could imagine his embarrassed smile despite the dark. His hand moved away and you felt a pang of regret. The warmth had been divine. “I don’t need much sleep anyway.”  
  
“Oh… ok.” you shrugged and turned back to your fetal position. Hopefully, the dawn was not far away.  
  
“The sunrise is hours away.” he added, as if reading your thoughts. “You really should try to get some rest.”  
  
“Believe me,” you sighed from beneath your blanket, “If I could, I would.”  
  
There was no response so you assumed he went back to sleep. Minutes passed in frozen darkness and as they did, you felt more and more on the verge of tears. When they slid down your face their warmth was welcome, although it didn’t last long. In the end they were just water that would turn to ice so you swiped them away with your sleeve.  
  
This time his hand gently clasped yours inside the sleeve and his voice was in your ear, so close that his warm breath tickled the back of your neck.  
  
“Are you crying?”  
  
You weakly nodded, feeling ashamed. Tears on pillows are not befitting of a king’s soldier, not even the one in training. Berthold’s fingers pulled your sleeve down your arm and clasped your rigid fingers. His skin was so warm it hurt.  
  
“You are freezing!” his worried voice betrayed him and you could feel him cringe at his own volume. He remained still in the middle of motion for several moments, your hand cusped in his, until he started to relax again. When he was sure that nobody stirred or complained, he let go of your hand.  
  
“It is too cold for you to sleep.” it was more a statement than a question so you didn’t answer. He shuffled over to the edge of your blanket.  
  
“We could change bunks,” his voice was hesitant, “or I could…” His fingers tentatively slid under the edge and his palm rested on your spine. He could feel you tense and pressure of his hand on your back wavered. The breathing behind you was becoming more shallow and nervous, you didn’t need to see his face to guess its expression.  
  
You were glad he couldn’t see your face, though.  
  
Did he notice you watching him across the dining room, when the boys goofed around in their corner?  Did he figure out that you being his usual sparring partner in the hand-to-hand combat training was more than a coincidence?  
  
Berthold was always so quiet and so shy, you never thought he would notice your attention or act upon it.  
  
“I’m sorry.” he stuttered under breath, pulling his hand away. “Please don’t be mad…”  
  
“’Tis ok.” you whispered and half turned to him, catching his hand before it completely withdrew from beneath your blanket.  
  
“What?” a question between disbelief and discomfort.  
  
“It is ok.” you repeated more firmly, pulling his hand closer to your body. “It feels good.”  
  
It did feel good. You led his arm around your waist and his body followed, sliding closer to the arch of your back. When he was leaning against you beneath the covers, his flat belly pressed to your skin, you felt engulfed in a heat wave of his body. How could he be so hot in this cold?  
  
His arms tentatively found their way around yours and he clumsily embraced you.  
  
“You know…” he gulped, “I have been watching you.”  
  
Your eyes were wide open, despite the lulling warmth. “R-really?”  
  
“Yeah.” he tickled your ear with his breath. “I was glad when you ‘accidentally’ chose a cot next to mine. And when you sewed up the tear in my uniform. And when you got into a fight with Jean for teasing me….”  
  
You sharply inhaled and started moving away, but he smiled. “I was so glad… but I never mustered up the courage to…” He sighed. “Even now, if I had to look you in the eyes…”  
  
You turned towards him, bumping your nose against his chin. The heat trapped between your bodies was causing you to sweat. Your forehead sunk below his jaw line and nested against his neck.  
  
“Same here.” you whispered against his chest, feeling his heartbeat race. Or was it your heart that seemed to skip its beats?  
  
His smile was relieved, you could feel deep vibrations of his voice coming from his broad chest. “Don’t get me wrong, but I am really happy this was a cold night.”  
  
You couldn’t help but laugh as your lips found their way to his in darkness.

 

 

THE END


End file.
